More than 1,000 stolen items recovered

by Kara Laws
On August 7, Blanding Police officers made an arrest in conjunction with the theft of more than 1,000 items. Michael Ainsworth Yoakam, age 66 of Blanding, faces a host of charges related to the theft.
Detective JJ Bradford and Officer Clayton Most have been aggressively investigating the rising reports of stolen items.
For approximately two weeks leading up to the arrest, Bradford and Most worked proactively to address this specific situation.
The arrest was made during a search of the suspect’s home. The results of the search warrant produced more than 1,000 stolen items from various homes and businesses.
Stolen items include, but are not limited to Native American art, turquoise and silver jewelry, refrigerator magnets, home décor, and various souvenirs.
The first reports of theft began to filter in near the end of July. However, Detective Bradford speculates that items started to go missing a month or so prior to that.
Yoakam has lived in Blanding for approximately the past six months.
Most and Bradford were able to recover the items and arrest the alleged sticky-fingered party.
Blanding City Police ask businesses and individuals to come forward if they were victims of the thief.
Chief Torgerson said that the department has a big job ahead of them trying to return the stolen items to the correct parties.
If you feel you or your business had items stolen, call Detective Bradford at 435-678-2334.
The item snatching is still under investigation.